Robin Williams' personal bike collection is up for auction

stephen lacey

How many bicycles does one person need? Well, if you're an avid cyclist like the late comedian Robin Williams you probably subscribe to the N + 1 formula, where N equals the number of bicycles you currently own and + 1 equals the number you would like to own.

This popular formula saw the star of Good Will Hunting and Mork and Mindy stockpile one of the world's most impressive bicycle quivers, one that he kept in a huge garage in his hometown of San Francisco.

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Currently, 87 bicycles from the massive collection are being auctioned off by Williams' family, with the proceeds going to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

Standing just 1.7 metres, Williams wasn't a tall man, so most of the frames in the collection are a diminutive size 54 cm.

A cyclist's dream

With an income of more than $US55 million ($71,752,990) annually, Williams was in a position to purchase some pretty exotic two-wheeled machinery, representing the whole spectrum of cycling from mountain biking to road racing, across a number of eras.

Highlights of the auction are enough to make the average cycling fanatic wet their Lycra. Such as the Colnago Master Pista La Carrera Future (2000) with the incredible polka dot paint job.

Or the very groovy 1960s Schwinn Pea Picker Krate Stingray, an American version of what most Australians would know as a dragster. Also worth a mention is the fully custom Dario Pegoretti Responsorium in stainless steel with a full Campy Record groupset.

Riding high

Williams didn't just collect bicycles; he rode them almost every morning around San Francisco, heading out across the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Sonoma Mountains (although his stocky build meant he definitely wasn't ever going to be KOM). He was a frequent spectator at the Tour De France, and counted Lance Armstrong as a cycling buddy.

At the time of writing the highest bid on the polka dot Colnago was up to $US26,000 ($33,000). While a Look 695 Mondrian D12 had attracted 26 bids and was sitting at $US10,000 ($13,044).

The Pinarello Dogma 6.1 as ridden by Team Sky has 18 bids up to $US8,500 ($11,091), and has already eclipsed the $US5,000 ($6520) estimate.

Strapped for cash? You could put a bid on William's Z Turbo electric scooter which is currently hovering at $US2000 ($2605).

You can bid on the collection from now until October 25 at: Paddle 8

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